The carbon footprint for the average Chinese individual is quickly approaching levels common in the world’s industrialized nations and, if current trends continue, could match or exceed U.S. levels by 2017, a new report says. Since 1990, CO2 emissions in China have increased from 2.2 tons per capita to 6.8 tons, roughly equal to those in Italy and greater than in France, according to a report conducted by the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency and sponsored by the European Commission. During that period, CO2 emissions in the U.S. decreased from 19.7 tons per capita to about 16.9 tons, according to the report. While China passed the U.S. as the world’s biggest emitter of greenhouse gases in 2007 — and has doubled its total carbon emissions since 2003 — Chinese officials have argued that the steep rise is reasonable for a developing nation on a per-person basis. But some conservationists now contend that, based on its CO2 emissions, China should be treated as a developed nation in future climate change talks.
China’s Per Capita Emissions Could Rival U.S.’s By 2017, Report Predicts
More From E360
-
Biodiversity
Grim Dilemma: Should We Kill One Owl Species to Save Another?
-
INTERVIEW
On Gulf Coast, an Activist Rallies Her Community Against Gas Exports
-
Climate
With CO2 Levels Rising, World’s Drylands Are Turning Green
-
WATER
As World’s Springs Vanish, Ripple Effects Alter Ecosystems
-
Climate
The Race to Save Glacial Ice Records Before They Melt Away
-
INTERVIEW
Turning Brownfields to Blooming Meadows, With the Help of Fungi
-
Solutions
To Foil a Deadly Pest, Scientists Aim for a Beetle-Resistant Ash Tree
-
Climate
Could the Global Boom in Greenhouses Help Cool the Planet?
-
Biodiversity
In North Macedonia, an Ancient Lake Faces Modern Threats
-
Solutions
How a ‘Citizen Map’ Is Helping Brazil Prepare for Next Big Flood
-
ANALYSIS
A Key Court Ruling Could Weaken U.S. Environmental Protections
-
WILDLIFE
As ‘Zombie’ Deer Disease Spreads, Scientists Look for Answers